Her True Self
by 0.0Jadewaters
Summary: Annabeth has moved around America, going to new schools, making new friends. She changes her personality at every school, from the school loser to 'it' girl of the school. But then she meets Goode High School's hottest boy and with his help, can she uncover her true self, the one that was lost when her mom walked out of her life?
1. Chapter 1

Her True Self

**Hey guys! So this is my first story here on fanfiction, I know this is a short chapter, but i hope you enjoy it! Anyways, rate and review please if you would like me to continue the story!**

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Chapter 1:

Annabeth sighed as she picked up her silky grey blanket. She placed it by her cheek, the cool fabric contrasting with her tan cheek. She is sixteen years old, yet she already moved around America more than a couple of time, and now Annabeth is moving _again._

"Annabeth! Hurry up and pack! We're leaving to New York in an hour!" her stepmom called from down the hall.

Annabeth has never been on best terms with her step-mother, they had always end up fighting over the smallest things. Annabeth bent down and retrieved her Yankee's cap, the birthday present she received in mail on her twelfth birthday from her mother. She held gingerly, as if it would shatter into a million pieces if she gripped too hard, and closed her eyes, allowing a forbidden memory flow into her mind.

_A five year old Annabeth just woke up from her sleep, and heard shouting coming down from the kitchen. She slowly made her way down and hid behind a plain green wall, her stormy grey eyes becoming larger as she saw her parents arguing over a piece of broken plate, not noticing the presence of their young daughter. Her parents seem to be bickering over every single thing, from a speck of dirt on the wooden floors to the amount of money they spent every month. Suddenly, her mom became quiet, a little too quiet. She stormed out of the kitchen, and moments later, she appeared with a grey suitcase in her hand. Annabeth was confused as her mom bent down to her and ruffled her honey blond hair. "I'll call you someday," her mom promised and then she was out the door, leaving the scent of lemons a coffee behind. Later on that day, Annabeth was curled up onto her father's lap, inquiring when her mom would come home. "Sometime," her father had replied, "sometime."_

As soon as the memory came, she brushed it away and rapidly placed the cap inside her plaid suitcase. She zipped it up, and dragged it along behind her as walked down the hallway towards the living room. The house was completely bare, all the family photos have been taken down, the furniture, everything. And now she had to restart a new life, make new friends, learn at a new high school. Life has never been easy for Annabeth and it seemed like it never will be.


	2. Chapter 2

Her True Self

**Here's the second chapter. It might be a bit boring but I do have to introduce everything, don't I? By the way, her friends back in Cali are basically the Romans from HoH, but I'm thinking about adding Reyna at Goode High School. What do you guys think? Sadly, i don't own any of the characters in the story, they all belong rightfully to Rick Riordan.**

**Have fun reading!**

Chapter 2:

They had just boarded the plane, the Chase family was ready to leave good old sunny California and enter the New York: the state that is widely known for its busy streets and shopping malls. Annabeth's younger twin step-brothers, Bobby and Matthew, were squirming in their seats, complaining loudly while her step mom was trying to entertain them with a movie. Her dad was busy reading a novel based on the World War II while Annabeth was busy thinking what type of person she should be at her new high school. Soon, she narrowed it down to two choices, sporty or a typical teenager. The whispers and the slight sway of the plane made her drowsy, and her eyes began fluttering, eventually closing as she dozed off.

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Annabeth stood in front of her new house. It was a two story building, with a dusty tan color. She felt weary and snappy from the five hour plane ride and couldn't wait to just crash into her be

~ooOoo~

They were almost done packing when Annabeth woke up from her bed. She slid out of her bed, gazing from the square window that provided a view of the plain concrete sidewalks. She plopped down on her bed, grabbed her white iPhone and plugged in her ear buds, letting the music drown out the sound of cars and traffic, leaving her in her own world.

For the next half an hour, Annabeth just lolled around her bed. She eventually dragged herself toward the bathroom, were she planned on taking a hot shower and wash out the smell of an airplane. Twenty minutes later, she came back out, feeling clean and refreshed, the smell of shampoo still clinging onto her. She slowly made it down the stairs, following the rich aroma, and found her family seated around their dining table with lasagna their plates. _So that's were the smell is coming from, _Annabeth thought as she plopped down onto an empty seat that had a plate in front of it and began scarfing down her food.

"I forgot to mention it, but you guys have school Tuesday. Annabeth, dear, we enrolled you in Goode High School, and Matthew and Bobby are going to Goode Elementary School. We also have a surprise waiting for you in the garage, Annabeth. Your father and I decided to give it to you, since you most likely _will _need it."

"Erm okfanks." Annabeth replied.

"Pardon?"her step mom asked, slightly confused.

Annabeth quickly swallowed her dinner and said, "Wait, so I'm going to school tomorrow?!"

"Yes,"

"And, uh, thanks for the surprise, whatever it may be?"

"No need to sound so unsure, Annabeth. You're welcome though." Susan, the step mom, replied with a chuckle.

Annabeth quickly finished her lasagna and went down to the garage. There sat a brand new silver Corolla, waiting to be ridden. She gasped, not having to expect _a car_ as her 'surprise present'. She literally flew to the dining room, and crushed her father and step mom in a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she cried with joy.

"No problem," her dad said in a muffled voice.

"Why did you buy the car though? We move around lot, too, so it's going to be hard to lug the car around." Annabeth asked in a slightly sad tone.

"Guess what honey? Susan and I are planning to stay here for quite a while and since you got your driver's license, we agreed on buying you a car. Did you like the car though?"

"Yes, yes YES!" she replied gleefully, "I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She pranced around the house, and when she was in her room, she sent a text to her friends back in California.

_Ac: OMG! U won't believe it! Mum and dad bought me a new car! EEP!_

_Gwen: REALLY? Dat's soooooo cool! :)_

_Hazel L: lucky you! Wat type?_

_Ac: Corolla_

_Hazel L: nice gurl :-) u deserve it_

_Ac: thx guys gtg pack my things for the new dreaded school tomorrow :( I miss u_

_Gwen: WE DO TOOO! COME BACK SOOOOOOONNNNN_

_Hazel L: have fun at your new school ;)_

_Gwen: call us if you see any hot guys :p hehe_

_Ac: GWEN! **Sigh** kk cya guys_

_Gwen: bai_

_Hazel L: bye_

After she closed her phone, she reached for the acoustic guitar and began strumming a song while singing under her breath. Hours later, she glanced at the clock, realizing it was 10 pm. She quickly packed some things for school, brushed her teeth, and hit her bed at 11, hoping that she'll fit her school. And for the first time in her life, Annabeth Chase was nervous for starting school.

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**So did you guys like this chapter? Or was it too boring? I promise to spike things up once she arrives at Goode, but I'll try not to make it too dramatic xD Anyways should I make Rachel nice or bitchy? I more leaning on the latter but your opinions count too! Peace out guys, and R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Her True Self

**Third chapter up! :) This one is longer as I might be a bit busy over the weekends so just stay tuned. Rachel's gonna be a nice girl in this story (I read the reviews and people wanted a nice Rachel so here she is) though the characters are just going to be introduced pretty quickly because I figured the chapter would get a little to long if I added to much, so yeah... Don't worry, Annabeth will have lots of convos with the characters, just not on her first day of school! R&R and remember that these characters belong to Rick Riordan. Enjoy guys!**

Chapter 3:

_Beep beep! Beep beep! _Annabeth groggily opened her grey eyes and peered at her alarm clock. She inwardly groaned to herself, and pulled herself out of bed. She threw open her closet door and peered inside, searching for a pair of short white sweats and a grey t-shirt. She threw it over head, quietly tip-toed towards her bathroom across the hall. She brushed her teeth, yanked her honey blond hair into a ponytail, grabbed her iPhone, and was out the door at 6:05 am.

She jogged down the unfamiliar block, with music blasting from her ear buds. Running helped clear her mind, especially since she was nervous about going to Goode High School. Her, Annabeth Chase, feeling _nervous_ about starting a new school? That was unheard of. She couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling of her as she made her way down the street toward a small park near her house.

After an hour of jogging, she made her way towards the shower, letting the warm water trickle down her tan back. She hopped out of her shower, wrapped herself in a towel and went into her room. She threw open her closet door peered inside for a blue crochet cropped boxy sweater and a pair of white skinny jeans. She went for the style of a regular teenager this time. Glancing around her closet, you would notice that she had a wide range of clothing, from emo to punk, ratty old clothes to designer clothes or plain to dressy. That was from the years she changed. Annabeth remembered two years ago when she chose to wear those emo clothing because of the reminder of her mom. Or the year she turned twelve, she decided to wear just ratty old clothing and became branded as the school 'nerd'. None of the clothes described Annabeth, _her actual self_, people just judged her by what she wore. And this year, she planned on just blending in with the crowd.

Annabeth slipped into her clothing, grabbed her grey backpack that's filled with supplies and walked downstairs, every muscle in her body tense and alert. She grabbed a muffin and a juice box, draining down the juice in a couple of seconds and scarfed her muffin down in precisely two minutes. She waved good-bye to her family, grabbed some money for lunch, slipped into her brown boots and was out the door at 8:10 in the morning.

Annabeth arrived at school with her new car, feeling more fidgety than usual. She had ADHD and dyslexia, which certainly didn't help her in reading, and she was usually always active, but right now she was extra fidgety. She pulled a brave mask on before exiting the silver Corolla and sauntered down the school hallway, following the signs to go to the principal's office.

~ooOoo~

The principal, Mr. D, just handed Annabeth her schedule and waved her off, telling her to find a person to show her around the school. _What a grumpy guy, _Annabeth thought sourly, _I don't even know anyone here and he expects me to find someone to show me around the school? Wow..._

Annabeth was too busy looking down at her schedule and bumped into someone accidentally. "Sorry!' she gasped, as she helped the girl off her feet. When the other girl stood up, Annabeth studied the girl, a habit of hers, and noted that she had short spiky black hair, and wore punk clothing. The one appearance that caught Annabeth's eye was the girls electrifying blue eyes.

"Hey," the girl said, "You must be the new girl. I'm Thalia. Nice to meet ya."

"Hi," Annabeth replied nervously, "My name's Annabeth."

"You need a tour around the school?" Thalia questioned.

"Sure,"

So the two girls walked around the school, talking. Annabeth learned that Goode had a swimming pool and the swim captain is the most popular guy in the school. "Wait till you see him. Every girl's been drooling over him." Thalia said with a smirk.

"What about you?"

"Me? Annie, he's my cousin."

"Don't call me Annie!"

"Fine, fine. Chill. Anyways, here's the music room," Thalia gestured.

Thalia looked at the clock and said, "Come on Annie, you're going to meet some of my friends."

Annabeth reluctantly followed Thalia out into the parking lot. She saw two girls get out of a black car and began walking towards them. One girl seemed like she came out of a fashion magazine, the other girl seemed like an eco-friendly person.

"This is Katie," Thalia said while pointing at the earth friendly person, "And that's Silena." Silena gave her a small cheery wave while Katie smiled shyly at her. "And this is Annabeth guys! She's from... um where are you from?"

"California." Annabeth confirmed.

"Oh my gosh! Really?" Silena squealed. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"And here comes the guys," Katie muttered.

Annabeth followed their gaze and saw a blue Mercedes pulled in. The driver came out and was instantly mobbed by a bunch of popular girls. Two other boys came out and more girls began crowding around them. You would've thought they were super stars or something by the amount of people crowding around the car. Annabeth felt sick, as she watched a couple of girls trying to shove their breasts in front of one of the guys.

"Who are those guys?" she asked.

"Percy Jackson, Nico Di Angelo, and Jason Grace." Thalia confirmed with a smirk. "And I'm related to all of them."

"Wow." Annabeth whispered.

One of the boys came in view and she saw he had light blond hair and the same electrifying blue eyes as Thalia. Annabeth thought, _Sister and brother?_ As if Thalia knew what she was thinking, she said, "Annie, meet my brother Jason. Jason this is Annabeth." Annabeth shook Jason's hand while she shot a glare at Thalia, mouthing the words, _don't call me Annie!_

The bell rang and Jason walked away, muttering, "Perce and Nico are gone. Catch you later guys." while the four guys made their way toward the brown building.

"Too bad Piper wasn't here. She's hopelessly in love with Jason." Silena said, as she watched the retreating figure of Jason.

"Who's Piper?" Annabeth inquired.

"You'll meet everyone at lunch." Katie told her.

And, with that, they set off to their first period, Thalia and Silena going to Science while Annabeth and Katie walked towards English.

~ooOoo~

True to her word, Annabeth did meet all of Thalia's friends at lunch. There was the Stoll brothers who loved playing jokes on the teachers and other students, Grover Underwood and his girlfriend Juniper, Clarisse and her boyfriend Chris, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a redhead, Piper McLean, Leo Vladez, a super hyper kid, Jason Grace, Silena Beauregaurd, Katie Gradner whom she already met, and Nico Di Angelo, Thalia's cousin who loved to dress in black. The only person she hadn't met was the oh-so-famous Percy Jackson. But soon he came to view and Annabeth studied him. Percy made Hollister male models look ugly, and Annabeth is sure she'd never seen anyone as good-looking as him. In fact, she thought he could've made it to the world's top 10 best looking teenagers. He had a perfect tan body, lean but muscular, and raven black hair that fell in between his eyes. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. They were a mesmerizing sea green color with golden flecks in them, as if his eyes were chips from the sea. His eyes were so beautiful. Annabeth had never seen anyone with eyes like his, they were so original and was filled with so much emotion, from pain to happiness, weariness to kindness. Those eyes pulled Annabeth in, staring straight at her soul, as she stared back, entranced by those sea green eyes.

She found a hand waving in front of her and Annabeth blinked, quite startled. Thalia chuckled and said, "You know, you were staring at the great Percy Jackson for like 5 mintues straight. It was really funny." Annabeth soon turned beet red, embarrassed by the fact that she was staring at someone for that long. She quickly ate her lunch, muttered a good-bye, and left towards the library. The day at school passed uneventfully, she just added a couple of new contacts on her phone and soon became good friends with Thalia, Rachel, Juniper, Katie, Silena and Piper. She also managed to meet some of Thalia's other friends, Zoe Nightshade, Calypso, and Nico's sister, Bianca, before school ended.

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When she arrived home after school, she couldn't help but think about Percy Jackson. He was handsome, no screw that, he was, how did Gwen put it? Oh yes, hot. That was the word that described Percy Jackson. And by the end of the day, when she crawled into her bed, Annabeth was still thinking about the boy with those sea green eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate straight into her soul and read all her secrets.

**How was it? And I was wondering, should I make Reyna mean and poplar but have a bad history, or make her nice? I really want to make her poplar but later on the group finds out why and they try to help change her ways. It might add a twist to the story too :p R&R and suggestions for the story is also welcomed!**

**Happy Easter guys! **


	4. Chapter 5

Her True Self

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry for not updating this week. :( I've been quite busy, and right now I have honor tests coming up. My teacher also left us with a bunch of projects so I probably won't be updating as much. I'm so sorry. Anyways, this idea was from blackjack1709 of doing it in Percy's point of view. It's still a third person point of view, but it shows Percy's feelings not Annabeth.**

**Enjoy guys!**

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Chapter 4:

The new girl that came to school yesterday confused Percy. She wasn't like any other girl he'd met, she had an aura of sadness around her. He decided to arrive early at school today to avoid all the girls and sent a text to Nico and Jason, telling them that he was at Mr. Brunner's, his Greek teacher's, room. He walked up the stairs behind the school, and made a beeline straight to Room 103. Knocking on he door, he heard a "come in", and walked into the room. "Morning Mr. Brunner," Percy began. "I was just wondering, what our Greek homework is again?"

"Ah, Percy, it seems like you never pay attention in class, do you? Well, we have.."

Percy wasn't paying attention anymore when he swore he saw a flash of honey blonde hair passing through the window. Shaking his head, he thought that he was probably thinking too much and turned back towards Mr. Brunner. They were interrupted by a familiar feminine voice. "Sorry to barge in, but Mr. Brunner, I was wondering if you could tell me what the assignment was? I just came to this school yesterday, so I'm still a bit confused." Annabeth looked flustered as she asked the question. "Sure, dear. I was just telling Percy here about the homework too." Percy looked over at Annabeth and grinned at her, his sea green eyes twinkling in amusement. She suddenly looked down, her face a cherry red colour. Percy always had that effect on girls, he was quite use to them blushing when he sent a grin or even wink towards them. Mr. Brunner began talking about the homework and asked if they wanted to be partners for the project, since they both had Greek at period 3. Both of them agreed, Percy enthusiastically, Annabeth a bit hesitant. They had to do a project on two different gods, and compare them. Soon, the two kids left, talking about which gods/goddesses they should do.

"Poseidon is pretty dang awesome if you ask me. We should do him." Percy suggested.

"Yeah, sure. I like Athena so we should also do her. You do know that those two gods were rivals right?"

"Yeah I know. I'm not that stupid."

"Sure, you're not, seaweed brain."

"Did you just call me _seaweed brain_?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah 'cause you're not the sharpest crayon in the box and your eyes remind me of the sea."

"But I'm the brightest." he added with a wink.

Annabeth rolled her eyes then huffed, "Whatever. So it's going to be Athena and Poseidon?"

"Yup."

Annabeth and Percy were walking around, not noticing were they went, until Annabeth heard a cluster of girls whispering while passing them. She stopped abruptly and Percy looked back with a questioning face. She shook her head before running off, leaving Percy befuddled and confused. He decided to run after her, and I mean, that's every girl's dream for a guy to run after them isn't it?

When Percy reached Annabeth, he noticed she had tears forming in her stormy grey eyes. He loved those eyes, but he's never going to admit to anybody. Percy slowly sat down on the gravel with her and asked, "Why did you run away?" She replied with, "You don't understand." He grinned at her and said, "Try me." So Annabeth ended up telling him about what had happened to her mom.

_It was the day when a letter arrived at there house, telling them about Athena Chase. She was currently in the hospital, after suffering from a car crash. The driver, a young man named Luke Castellan had collided with Annabeth's mother and they both had severe injuries. Docotrs said there was only a 50/50 chance for them to survive. Annabeth and her dad drove to the hospital and record speed, worried lines etched on their faces. They arrived there, pushing past doctors and nurses to get to Athena and Luke. Luke was Annabeth's first and only boyfriend, and when she found out that he was drunk and driving, she was furious. Not only did he crash into her mom, but who knows where he went to. He could've been at a bar, banging on some random woman. Annabeth blinked back her tears as she ran down the white hallways, her sneakers slapping the white hospital floors. Her father and her banged opened the door to the room that contained Athena and rushed to her side. Athena smiled faintly up at them, telling Frederick about all the happy times, reliving her memory abd then turned to Annabeth, stroking her blonde hair. "Annabeth," she said, "You've grown into a beautiful teenager. I wish I could live to see your kids. But my time has come. I love you both. Just remember that, please." And with that, Athena took one last shuddering breath, before letting death come take her away. Tears streaked down both Annabeth and Frederick's faces as they stared at the body in front of them. Suddenly, Annabeth ran down the hall to Luke's room and stared furiously at him. She screamed, "Look what you did! Now my mother's dead, and y-you where somewhere off, partying and drinking!"_

_Luke replied in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry Annabeth. I was going to break it off between us, but I didn't know how."_

_She gaped at Luke before she turned around and marched away, with a calm expression on her face. But in her chest, she heard the sound of her heart being ripped in to twos._

They skipped half of school and Percy started to understand why she acted so mysterious everytime. He made up a new goal: to get show Annabeth her true self.

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**Sorry bout the short chapter. Don't forget to R&R!**

**Peace out**


	5. Chapter 6

Her True Self

**First off, I'm so sorry for not updating this week, I feel really guilty especially since you guys gave me wonderful reviews. Thank you so much!**

**Speaking of reviews, I would like to thank the following people that reviewed for Her True Self from chapters 1-5:**

**pjoperson (my first reviewer! Thanks dude or dudette? Whatever), Howlsong12 (thx for reviewing a couple of times!), xxWiseOwlxx, XxbethamphetaminexX (love your story Heavy in your Arms btw), maddie4836, blackjack1709 (Thanks for the idea), amycahill57, PjoHP, allen r, skprettygirl, Louisa4533 (thanks for correcting my spelling error xD), Guest, Atlanta Hermera Kane (I think is was cookielover with some random numbers before), zileybeawesome, regreeg, and Tigersbite29 (Guest)**

**A special shout out to my best friend in real life, ohsnaplovely! Thanks bro, you're awesome :D. And, no, she's not a boy -.-**

**Again, you guys are amazing! Sure do know how to keep an author spoiled. :P**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 5:

Over the past few days, Percy had been formulating a plan on bringing out the true Annabeth, the one the delved deep inside her, buried under layers and layers or emotions. It reminded Percy of the Earth, him as an archaeologist, digging to unearth a pile of rocks waiting to be discovered. He planned on taking her to a nearby museum, hoping that she adored Greek mythology as much as he did.

Coincidentally, Percy's dad was named Poseidon, after the ancient Greek god of the sea, horses, and earthquakes. His family branched out and all of his aunts, uncles and a few of his cousins were named after a god or goddess from the Greek myths.

From what Percy learned, Annabeth knew how to do many things. "You are one girl of many talents," he remarked after listening to Annabeth's long list of achievements and hobbies, causing her to turn a faint rosy color, which in Percy's opinion, suited her beautifully. _Wait, what?!_ He mentally face-palmed himself, and chose to omit that thought.

Sunday finally came (Annabeth had lots of lessons to attend on Saturdays, much to Percy's distaste) and Percy drove up to Annabeth's house, parking his blue Mercedes at the parkway. He clambered out of his car, quite ungracefully, and went to knock on Annabeth's door. Her father opened it, a man probably in his early forties, and questioned who Percy was. Percy replied smoothly, reviewing to himself what he should say when meeting Annabeth's parents. Luckily, they didn't take it the wrong way and considered him as a friend so Annabeth's dad allowed him in. Susan was a bit too joyful about Annabeth making friends, but Percy just thought she was a caring step mother, he gladly thanked her for the brownies that she baked, though they weren't blue.

Percy climbed the stairs that were leading up to Annabeth's room. Her house was the typical kind of buildings you'll find in New York. He walked down the hallway and paused in front of a white door with a sign that said: Annabeth's Room. Do not enter unless permitted to. Please knock first. He smirked as he read it with difficulty, his dyslexia kicking in. Typical Annabeth, Percy thought as he raised his hand to knock on her door, the sound echoing faintly down the hall. She opened it, and Percy had a glance at how she looked like today. He learned that she dressed differently everyday according to her mood, some days it was all black, other days her clothes were so bright it hurt his eyes. Today, she wore a coral colored lace cupcake tank top (sorry I like designing my character's clothings, just search it online if you're wondering how it looks like) and blue coloured gradient denim shorty shorts. He admire how the clothing hugged her figure, before mentally scolding himself and pushing away those thoughts.

"Hey," he nodded at her with a playful smile.

"Hi, what's up?" she replied.

"Got a surprise for you. Come on."

Percy grabbed her wrist, his large hand swallowing up her thin wrist. She started protesting before he shushed her. They walked down the stairs, towards his car. Being ever the gentleman, he opened the door for her, causing a blush to creep up to her cheeks. He drove carefully through the crowded New York roads, weaving in and out of cars. Finally, he drove into the museum's parking lot, with a priceless look on Annabeth's face.

"What exactly are we doing here?" she questioned.

"Hope you enjoy history and dusty artifacts. Welcome to the museum." Percy added with a wink.

They climbed out of the car, Percy offering an arm for Annabeth. Her face became beet red, but nevertheless, she accepted his arm.

Entering the museum, he noticed that Annabeth was scrutinizing the columns and structures of the museum. He frowned, finding it odd, as she never mentioned about architecture. Well, at least that was what Percy thought. He didn't really pay attention to the conversations at lunch, he mostly tuned out, going back in time, remembering memories of his younger brother, Tyson. Tyson, he thought, before quickly abandoning the thought. Instead, he tried focusing on the museum's displays. He quickly noted at Annabeth's interest in the ancient artifacts and chuckled mentally at her puckered face.

"Hey Annabeth," he said, waving a hand in front of her face, "how do you like this?"

She thought carefully for a moment before answering. "I guess I do enjoy learning about history."

"You guess?" Percy asked.

"I like history." she confirmed. "Is that better, Seaweed Brain?" she shot back.

Soon, an argument formed, making Annabeth annoyed.

The pair had lunch at the museum's cafe, talking about their life while sipping Starbuck's famous coffees. What really drawn Percy towards her was the way she act. Sometimes, Annabeth was happy, then all of a sudden, her mood would dampen. She was unpredictable as one may say, but Percy wasn't that willing to give up. He tried prying we open, spilling all we secrets by interrogating her. The poor girl couldn't handle it anymore, instead she slammed her hand on the table and demanded to him why he needed to know these things. Percy gawked at her before answering softly, "I want to know the real you. This isn't you Annabeth. I can tell when someone's lying, and you definitely are. Can you not see how important it is to one's soul of bringing out their true form? Right now, you soul is like an empty eggshell, pitch black. You're wasting your time, letting life slip out of you every minute. You're not living your life to the fullest and soul has no happy memories. It just captured the dark, painful ones. Being yourself will allow memories, good and bad, to flow into your soul. And right now, you aren't being yourself, you're being someone that...just isn't you."

Annabeth seemed stunned for a moment, not believing that Percy just made a speech, _and_ was observing her. She didn't know what to feel, angry, annoyed or perhaps happy? Her feelings were a mix of colors, ranging from darkest of black to the lightest of yellow.

"Well, that was such an eloquent speech you delivered for me to hear," she sneered, "I'm so glad you're interested in 'gazing at my soul' for 24/7. I don't care what you just said, you don't understand a single thing about me, in fact, you don't even know me!" By now, Annabeth was half-shouting, her voice becoming raspy and her lower lip began to tremble. Pools of tears began welling in those startling grey eyes, but she refused to look weak in front of Percy. Except, he saw it.

Percy stated calmly, "I don't know why I care, and you're right, I don't know anything about you, but did you ever consider that I care for my friends? I know that we each have done mistakes in the past, we each have a fatal flaw that causes us to do those mistakes, because everybody is equal that way. But what is unique about each and every one of us is our personality. Our looks. And most of all, what our heart is set on. I know people. I've been reading them for my entire life, like you reading a book. I've been studying the way they interact with everyone, the way they look at things from their perspective. And I may know more about you than you think. Please let me help you." Percy pleaded, capturing her hands under his.

Annabeth shook his hand off. "Why would you want to help someone like me?" she snarled. "I'm probably not even going to stay here for a year. You act like 'oh I'm so cool, look at me, I know everybody' that type of people. You don't know what I've been through, and how much therapists I've visited. I'm sick of these heart-to-heart talks. If this is why you brought me here, then I think I will go." she spat out before abruptly standing up, swinging her shoulder bag as she stomped out of the cafe, her body trembling with rage and pain.

Percy watched her retreating figure, making no movement of running after her. He just sat perfectly still, his green eyes locked onto the girl and whispered softly, so quietly that no one besides him would've heard. "I know more you than you think. I know you've lost a loved one. And that grief is consuming you. I will help you, so you wouldn't have to fall in the clutches of despair again. Don't follow my path. I went down the wrong way and you cannot go that way, the same place I went to." he promised. His stubbornness and flaw created him to act like this, and now they were taking control of this, not even stopping to think of the consequences. It was just the achievements it was aiming for. And Percy knew what could happen, but he brushed away that thought and focused on the positive side. The side that could show Annabeth what she truly was like.

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**Meh, I didn't really proofread. Especially since I have so many activities going around me. I have two big tests coming up in May, so yeah...it basically means I won't be updating in a while. Sorry :( **

**Complain all you want in the reviews, but please no cursing at me or the story! Criticizes are welcomed. ._.**

**Have good day!**

**Peace out**

**~0.0LW~**


	6. Chapter 7

Her True Self

**I don't own the characters. Needless to say, I'm not a male either. Characters may seem a bit OOC**

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Chapter 6:

Annabeth stormed down the street, grounding her teeth in frustration. How dare he just come into her life and tell her that; the green eyed boy really had the nerve to uncover her past. The universe was really toying with her, but all she wanted to do was stand on the sidelines. Was that really too much to ask for? Apparently it was, and now she was thrown into the game.

If Annabeth was actually completely honest with herself, she would've admitted that she is glad to have someone caring for her. But her pride got into her way, forcing to her to walk away.

Annabeth's phone buzzed in her hand, indication that she had received a new text. She opened it and saw it was from Percy. As much as Annabeth wanted to close it, her hands just couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, her furious gaze traveled down the text.

_"A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogant, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority false, pride, lies, superiority...and ego. The other is good, He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion...and faith. The same fight is going on inside you. And each other person too."_

_"Which wolf will win?"_

_"The one you feed."_

_"A Cherokee Legend."_

_"What do you think this quote means, Annabeth?"_

Annabeth glared at her iPhone screen, considering on whether to smash it or not. She decided the latter, until another text popped up, by the same infuriating yet sweet guy.

_"Letting your fatal flaw take control of you can destroy you. I let my loyalty get in my way, blinding me, and it brought more pain in my life. Don't ever let that happen to you, like it did to me, no matter what."_

_"Come to the cafe. I want to ask you something."_

Annabeth swallowed a gulp of the befouled New York air, and reread the message. She thought back, remembering her flaw. Pride. It was the reason why she stormed out of the cafe, and she let it be free like a bird, singing and whooping inside her. She gave it one last bitter taste of freedom before trapping it in the cage. Finally, Annabeth felt better after it was under her care, her control, and ran back to the cafe, praying to ever availible got that Percy was still there. Fortunately, he is. She shoved open the door, the tinkling bell causing Percy to glance up. A sarcastic smirk made its way to his face, making Annabeth dreaming on wiping it off.

"Back so soon?" he chuckled amusedly.

"Yeah, though I kind of regret it, seeing that it inflates your massive ego." she replied snidely.

"Ouch." Percy feigned a hurt look, clutching his hand by his heart. "So, I assume you received my text?"

"Yes," Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy's dramatic antics. "Now cut out the act."

"Okay. And did you do any thinking, seeing that you rushed in here just to see my awesomeness and handsome face?"

"What? I did not come here to you face! I simply came here to talk to you!" she cried indignantly.

"Are you sure? Most girls come into the cafe just to see me. You sure you're not doing that too?" he gestured around the room, his arms sweeping across it.

True to his word, a bunch of girls were ogling at him and Annabeth. A few jealous teenagers twisted around to face her with glares on their painted faces. But she refuse to give him the satisfaction.

"And you expect me to be like that? One, let me remind you that you were the one who brought me here. Two, you don't seem like those kind of guys who would actually care. Three, I _do not _wear mini-skirts, piles of make up and revealing clothing. So to sum it up, I didn't come into the cafe to look at your face." she grinned triumphantly at Percy's gold-fish face.

"But you're staring at my face right now." he finally argued back with a cheeky grin.

"Fine. Get to the point. What do you want?' she sighed, realizing that it was pointless and that she had to go in half an hour.

Percy blinked slowly, gawking at her incredulously. "Did..did you just give up on a debate?"

Annabeth looked annoyed. "Yes I did. And don't you dare think this will happen again," she threatened, giving him a pointed look. "But I did it just for the sake of time. I forgot to mention but I gotta be home in about half an hour."

"Let's go then. I'll ask you in the car." Percy jumped up, offering a hand to Annabeth whom waved it aside, stubbornly declining his help. He just merely chortled, muttering _there goes your pride again, _under his breath, which irritated Annabeth even more. They brushed by the girls, omitting the fact that their perfect pink lips hung wide open in shock and headed towards Percy's car.

~ooOoo~

"Sooo..." Percy drawled, his eyes fixated on the road and traffic lights that blinked yellow, red then green in front of them.

"What?" Annabeth snapped at him.

"Chill! Geez, I just wanted to ask you a question," he ran a hand through his unruly black hair, exasperated. Staring at it, Annabeth wanted to run her hand through his hair, itching to smooth it- wait, where did _that _come from? She mentally slapped herself, thinking that her brain probably just wasn't functioning properly due to the jumble of emotions bouncing around. She couldn't afford to fall for someone, not after the Luke incident. It literally killed her, shattering her heart in pieces, and she just couldn't bring herself to date someone, no matter how many invites she received. Yet she couldn't help herself as she compared Luke to Percy. Percy is kind and mindful, meanwhile Luke is selfish and arrogant. The more she thought about it, the more of a scum Luke seemed compared to Percy. Percy had great looks and an amazing personality.

"...like to do?" Percy inquired, stealing a glance at Annabeth, immediately causing her to blush. She shook her head, gradually coming out of her thoughts. "W-what?' she stuttered, a bit befuddled.

"Never mind. We're here anyways." he said, climbing out of the car, holding the door for her, a sweet, chivalrous movement that happened only earlier this day, which made her turn pink again.

"Thank you." she said softly. And without any intentions, she leaned forward, giving him a peck on his tan cheek. Realizing what she had done, she pulled away with a gasp, mumbled a 'thank you for such a good day' and scurried away, leaving a dazed Percy standing there with a hand cupped on his cheek, his green eyes drilling holes into Annabeth's window.

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**So, did you guys enjoy the small Percabeth moment at the end? I wrote this on paper at school, too, and I have the ending planned out for this story already.**

**Thanks to Atlanta Hemera Kane, blackjack1709 and Howlsong12 who reviewed. You guys are awesome! Also a thank you to everyone that followed or favorited.**

**Don't forget to follow, favorite and review! Peace out,**

**~0.0LW~**


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